Stick type vehicle hand brake lever means

Abstract

A vehicle hand brake lever assembly for actuating the vehicle parking brake. The lever assembly includes an axially slidable plunger mounted on a support and having one end connected with a brake actuating member. The plunger and the support have a ratchet mechanism for holding the plunger at the brake applying position. The ratchet mechanism can be released by rotating the plunger about its longitudinal axis. A handle assembly is provided at the other end of the plunger and comprises a handle having a handle shaft. A sleeve fitted to a cylindrical guide member is secured to one of the sleeve and the handle shaft, and a lock member to the other. The lock member is axially slidably received in the guide member and provided with a cam profile for cooperation with a cam profile provided on the sleeve. The lock member is spring biased toward the sleeve so that the cam profiles are normally engaged with each other to thereby maintain the handle shaft at a predetermined relationship with respect to the plunger. The lock member further has axial projections and the guide member has an end wall formed with cutouts for receiving the axial projections on the lock member when the handle shaft is pulled axially against the biasing force to thereby connect the handle shaft with the plunger so that the plunger can be rotated about its longitudinal axis to release the ratchet mechanism on the plunger.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A vehicle hand brake comprising: braking means for applying braking force in response to linear movement;   a longitudinal rod being rotationally and slidably movable about the axis thereof and having a first end attached to said braking means and a second end, said rod also having an outer peripheral surface containing a series of ratchet teeth;   support means for receiving said rod and having pawl means for engaging said ratchet teeth and rigidly positioning said rod relative to said support means;   a locking member affixed on said second end and including projection means and a first cam surface having a predetermined cam stroke defined with respect to movement along the axis of said rod;   guide means coaxially positioned in relation to said rod for engagement with said locking member and including a sleeve and a housing, said sleeve having a second cam surface complementary with said first cam surface to restrict rotational movement of said first cam surface relative to said second cam surface in response to axial movement less than said cam stroke, said housing having an aperture extending about said rod and including at least one indentation for receiving said projection means by slidably moving said housing a predetermined distance relative to said locking member;   lever means attached to said housing for positioning said projection means into engagement with said at least one indentation to move said rod about and along said axis and to allow disengagement of said pawl means from said ratchet teeth; and   resilient means affixed between said guide means and said locking member for biasing said lever means toward said rod to position said first and second cam surfaces normally in abutment, wherein said cam stroke required to realign said first and second cam surfaces is less than said predetermined distance of axial movement necessary for engaging said projection means of said locking member with said at least one indentation of said housing, thereby preventing disengagement of said pawl means from said ratchet teeth through independent rotation of said lever means when the axial movement of said lever means is less than said predetermined distance.   
     
     
       2. The vehicle hand brake defined in claim 1, wherein said first and second cam surfaces are shaped to enable said lever means to be held in two positions relative to said axis of rotation of said rod, and wherein said projection means is slidably positioned into engagement with said at least one indentation from only one of said positions. 
     
     
       3. The vehicle hand brake as defined in claim 2, wherein said first position is about 180° from said second position relative to said axis of rotation of said rod, and wherein two indentations are asymmetrically positioned on said guide means relative to said axis, and wherein said projection means include two projections aligned to engage said two indentations. 
     
     
       4. The vehicle hand brake as defined in claim 1, wherein said first position is about 180° from said second position relative to said axis of said rod, wherein said two indentations are asymmetrically positioned on said guide means relative to said axis, and wherein said projection means includes two projections aligned to engage said two indentations. 
     
     
       5. A vehicle hand brake comprising: braking means for applying braking force in response to linear movement;   a longitudinal rod being rotationally and slidably movable about the axis thereof and having a first end attached to said braking means and a second end, said rod also having an outer peripheral surface containing a series of ratchet teeth;   support means for receiving said rod and having pawl means for engaging said ratchet teeth and rigidly positioning said rod relative to said support means;   a sleeve affixed on said second end and including a first cam surface;   guide means coaxially mounted on said second end and substantially enveloping said sleeve, said guide means including an aperture and at least one indentation coaxially positioned relative to said second end;   a locking member slidably mounted within said guide means and including a second cam surface complementary with said first cam surface and having a predetermined cam stroke defined with respect to movement along the axis of said rod to restrict rotational movement of said second cam surface relative to said first cam surface in response to axial movement less than said cam stroke, said locking member also including projection means extending therefrom;   lever means attached to said locking member for slidably positioning said projection means a predetermined distance into engagement with said at least one indentation; and   resilient means affixed between said guide means and said locking member for biasing said lever means toward said rod to position said first and second cam surfaces normally in abutment, wherein said cam stroke required to realign said first and second cam surfaces is less than said predetermined distance of axial movement necessary for engaging said projection means of said locking member with said at least one indentation of said guide means, thereby preventing disengagement of said pawl means from said ratchet teeth through independent rotation of said lever means when the axial movement of said lever means is less than said predetermined distance.   
     
     
       6. The vehicle hand brake as defined in claim 5, wherein said first and second cam surfaces are shaped to enable said lever means to be held in two positions relative to the axis of rotation of said rod, and wherein said projection means are slidably positioned into engagement with said at least one indentation from only one of said positions.